Mass Ave bike lane additions inspire excitement, uncertainty (South End News, Boston Globe, Commonwealth Conversations, Boston Biker, Boston Cyclists Union)
By Kate Vander Wiede -- With Boston consistently ranked by Bicycling Magazine as one of the worst cities to bike in, Mayor Thomas Menino seems to be out to change that. On May 21, during the second annual Boston Bike Festival, Menino announced that Mass. Ave. will soon become the home to bike lanes. With only two percent of Boston streets (17 out of 782 miles) currently featuring bike lanes, the construction between St. Botolph Street and Albany Street will add almost another mile to the total.

VIDEO: Boston Rising: Boston Bikes' Nicole Freedman (Streetfilms)
The Boston metro area has always had plenty of cyclists. But other than some fantastic greenways like the Minuteman Trail, riding along the Charles, and some ahead-of-its-time traffic calming & bike lanes in Cambridge, cyclists have had very little to crow about. In fact, it wasn't uncommon to hear murmurs that Boston was the worst cycling city in the U.S. But that's all slowly changing. Boston's Mayor Thomas Menino hired Nicole Freedman - a former U.S. National Champion and 2000 Olympian - as his "bike czar" to head up Boston Bikes in late 2007. Though there is still quite a ways to go, Boston is rising from decades of bike rust and planning to make its city more bike-friendly.

Somerville and state finally on same Green Line train of thought (Somerville Journal, Boston Globe, Somerville News)
By Auditi Guha -- After months of debate about the Green Line Extension Project, the city and Massachusetts Department of Transportation are in agreement: the maintenance facility will be located in the Inner Belt area known as Option L. The MassDOT, Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Congressman Mike Capuano, D-8th, announced the decision May 17. This site makes possible the future redevelopment of the areas closest to the Green Line Extension corridor and the creation of long-term transportation connections between the Inner Belt and Brickbottom neighborhoods.

The Man Who Could Unsnarl Manhattan Traffic (WIRED)
By Felix Salmon -- New York -- The walk to Charles Komanoff’s favorite lunch spot, a patisserie two blocks from his office in Manhattan’s Financial District, usually takes a couple of minutes. But on this December afternoon, Komanoff has spotted a truck from the grocery-delivery service FreshDirect. His eyes widen and his steps quicken as he approaches the orange and green refrigerated vehicle. Within seconds, he’s peppering the driver—politely but insistently—with questions. What route did you take to get here? How many deliveries do you make per trip? How often do you double-park? Do you leave the engine running?

Just how safe are Dutch cyclists and Dutch cycle paths? (A view from the cycle path)
By David Hembrow -- I've pointed out before that the Netherlands has the safest roads in the world, and that cycle paths have also lead to this country having the safest cyclists in the world. However, for some this evidence simply isn't enough. In the English speaking world in particular, "experts" continue to insist on the ludicrous idea that cyclists are safer in the proximity of cars than without them. However, these countries also continue to have a stunningly low cycling rate. Now the Germans have joined in too!Related: German cycle paths vs Dutch cycle paths (A view from the cycle path)